Sealed Joystick for the control of a machine, sealing element for that joystick and a control panel incorporating that joystick
First Claim
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1. A sealed joystick for the control of a machine, comprising:
- a function block provided with a mechanical piece which can be moved directly by the hand of a user to dispatch a command for control of the machine or a display of information on the current status of the controlled machine;
an outer shell formed by joining two rigid half-shells these half-shells tightly enclosing the function block, each on their respective sides, each half-shell having for the purpose a joint surface along its entire perimeter following a three-dimensional path which terminates on itself and which extends in three dimensions in space, wherein the joint surface;
is physically adjacent to the corresponding joint surface of the other half-shell in a first joint zone; and
is physically adjacent to the periphery of the function block in a second joint zone, the second joint zone being contiguous with the first joint zone;
a sealing element comprising;
a sealing cord extending continuously along the three-dimensional path between the joining faces within the first joint zone to ensure that the first joint zone is watertight; and
a ring seal making a complete turn about the function block and located within the second joint zone to ensure that the second joint zone is watertight, the ring seal having a transverse cross-section which differs from the transverse cross-section of the sealing cord, wherein the sealing element comprises a block of one piece of elastomer material combining the sealing cord and the ring seal in the same block.
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Abstract
This sealed joystick for a machine comprises a function block, an outer shell formed by joining two rigid half-shells, these half-shells tightly enclosing the function block, each half-shell comprising a joint surface for this purpose all along its perimeter following a three-dimensional path which terminates on itself and which extends in the three dimensions of space, a sealing element comprising a one-piece block of elastomer material combining a sealing cord and a ring seal of different transverse cross-section within this same block to ensure that the joint surfaces are watertight.
7 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A sealed joystick for the control of a machine, comprising:
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a function block provided with a mechanical piece which can be moved directly by the hand of a user to dispatch a command for control of the machine or a display of information on the current status of the controlled machine; an outer shell formed by joining two rigid half-shells these half-shells tightly enclosing the function block, each on their respective sides, each half-shell having for the purpose a joint surface along its entire perimeter following a three-dimensional path which terminates on itself and which extends in three dimensions in space, wherein the joint surface; is physically adjacent to the corresponding joint surface of the other half-shell in a first joint zone; and is physically adjacent to the periphery of the function block in a second joint zone, the second joint zone being contiguous with the first joint zone; a sealing element comprising; a sealing cord extending continuously along the three-dimensional path between the joining faces within the first joint zone to ensure that the first joint zone is watertight; and a ring seal making a complete turn about the function block and located within the second joint zone to ensure that the second joint zone is watertight, the ring seal having a transverse cross-section which differs from the transverse cross-section of the sealing cord, wherein the sealing element comprises a block of one piece of elastomer material combining the sealing cord and the ring seal in the same block. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 18)
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9. A control panel for a controlling a machine the control panel comprising:
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a dashboard, a sealed joystick for controlling the machine, the joystick comprising a function block provided with a mechanical piece, which can be directly moved by the hand of a user to dispatch a command to control the machine or a command to initiate a display of information corresponding to a current status of the controlled machine; and an interface mechanically connecting the joystick to the dashboard, the interface being mechanically attached to the dashboard on a first side and to the joystick on a second side. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 15, 16, 17)
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10. A sealing element for a joystick, the sealing element comprising:
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a sealing cord extending, in the absence of any external stress, continuously along a three-dimensional path corresponding to first joint surfaces extending in a first joint zone formed by joining two rigid half-shells that form an exterior surface of the joystick, the sealing cord being capable of ensuring that the first joint zone is watertight when the joystick is in its assembled position, and a ring seal extending, in the absence of any external stress, continuously along a three-dimensional path corresponding to second joint surfaces extending within a second joint zone formed by joining the two rigid half-shells around a function block, the ring seal being capable of ensuring that the second joint zone is watertight and having a transverse cross-section which differs from a transverse cross-section of the sealing cord, wherein the sealing element comprises a single element of an elastomer material that combines the sealing cord and the ring seal in the single element of the elastomer material. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification